All required slides complete with insightful responses and support
All required slides. Responses are adequate but may not be fully supported.
May be missing 1-3 slides and information is cursory and not fully supported.
Missing more than 3 slides and content is inaccurate.
Citations
All citations are present and in the proper format.
All citations are present however there are 1-3 errors in format.
Missing 1-3 citations.
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Images
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Spelling/Grammar
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1-3 errors.
3-6 errors
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total 12/16
Short Stories - Literary Devises Title:The Portable Phonograph
Point of View: Third person, limited omnicient
Protagonist: Dr. Jenkins
What type of character is the Protagonist? The protagonist is a round, dynamic character.
Antagonist: The environment, also possibly the musician
Describe the setting: The setting is a post-war world where everything has been destroyed. Everyone appears to have died in the war, leaving just four men alive, living out in the prairie badlands, and keeping themselves sane by reading books and listening to music on a portable phonograph one of them saved from before the war.
Type of Conflict: Man vs. Environment, possibly Man vs. Man
Describe the main conflict: The main conflict is between the landscape and the four survivors. They have to fight their way through the day, trying to find food and water in the barren wasteland, and trying to stay sane as they contemplate that they are the last of a completely extinct race. There also might be a secondary conflict between Dr Jenkins and the musician. Nothing actually happens, but there is the possibility that the musician might try to steal Dr. Jenkins’ phonograph.
Describe the Climax of the Story: The climax of the story is when Dr. Jenkins plays the phonograph for his guests. The musician seems to be caused great pain by hearing the music, and runs out of the cave. The others say goodnight, and leave too, but Dr. Jenkins believes the musician is not really gone, and thinks he intends to steal the phonograph.
How does the Protagonist change over the course of the story? The protagonist (Dr. Jenkins) changes his attitude of his companions over the course of the story. At the beginning, he enjoys their company, and is happy to read to them from his books, but as the story goes on, he becomes slightly annoyed that they want to hear the phonograph. This turns into fear when he realizes that the musician might intend to steal the phonograph.
Describe the relationship between the title and the theme The theme of the story is survival. For the four men, every day they must ask the question “will I live though the day?” Life is very difficult for them, and the phonograph is one of the things that keeps them going and believing that they can survive. The Portable Phonograph survived the end of the human race, as did they, and it is something that helps them to continue to survive.
How does the main conflict help to illustrate the theme? The main conflict helps illustrate the theme of survival by showing that, to Dr. Jenkins, his phonograph is at least as valuable, if not more so, than the survival of his comrades. His actions show that he cares about the music the phonograph provides so much that he would hurt, if not kill, his comrades to keep it.
How does the climax help to illustrate the theme? The climax is when Dr. Jenkins plays the phonograph for the other men. The musician’s reaction makes you wonder what his chances of survival are, and whether his sanity is put in jeopardy by the music. It also makes you wonder if he is just in need of company and help, or if he is a realistic threat to them. Dr. Jenkins demonstrates he believes the latter when he goes to bed with the lead pipe.
Give examples of each of the following literary terms in the story (use quotes):
Simile: An example of a simile is when the “writer” character says “my brain grows thick, like my hands”. His brain is not actually getting thicker, but he feels like it is because his time is occupied with mundane tasks like finding food and water, not writing as he wishes it was.
Metaphor: An example of a metaphor is “through the veil of the dusk”.
Personification: An example of personification is the “V” of geese that fly overhead. They cannot actually engage in expeditionary talk like humans, and can only honk.
Symbol: An example of a symbol is the book Moby Dick. It acts as a book, but symbolizes one of the good things the human race had accomplished before the war. It also symbolizes hope for Dr. Jenkins and his fellow survivors.
Foreshadowing (give both elements): An example of foreshadowing is the sentence “A queer sensation of torment, of two-sided, unpredictable nature, arose from the stillness of the earth air beneath the violence of the upper air.” This is the same feeling that the musician experiences later in the story.
Irony: An example of irony is that Dr. Jenkins, not the musician, had saved the phonograph and the records from the apocalypse.
Imagery: Some examples of imagery are at the beginning of he story. The description of the land, the old road, the craters, trenches and the cave are all examples of imagery. “ The frozen mud still bore he toothed impress of great tanks, and a wanderer on the neighbouring undulations might have stumbled , in this light, into large, partially filled-in and weed-grown cavities, their banks channeled and beginning to spread into badlands.”
Describe the relationships between the class theme and the story. The class theme is humanity. We see humanity in The Portable Phonograph when Dr. Jenkins tries to preserve the last little scrap of humanity the men have left by reading to them from his books, and playing the phonograph for them. We also see humanity in the pain the musician feels when he hears the music. The whole story is about four men who have lost most of their humanity, and are struggling to retain the last little bit.
Questions:
1) The story is set in the future, after an incredibly destructive war has wiped out not only most of the planet, but also most of the humans fighting the war.
This is supported by the fact that there are tank tracks in the mud, bomb scars covering the fields, trenches and dugouts spread across the countryside, and that the four survivors are meeting in a cave dug in the wall of a hill.
2) The purpose of the meeting is to give the men something to believe in, and something to live for. The author compares the wrapping of the books to a ceremonial rite because of the care that Dr. Jenkins takes while doing it. It is also described this way because, to the men, this is just as important and serious, if not more so, than the ceremonial rite it is described as.
3) The significance of the books that were saved is that they represent entertainment and hope to the men, who are in dire need of both. There are no current works of fiction included because Dr. Jenkins brought only "the Classics" that he could carry, and he feels like the classics are more important because they will continue to hold their meaning for future generations, unlike some modern fiction, which was written to sell in a "vampire craze", or some other instant fad.
4)
a) The significance of Dr. Jenkins holding the lead pipe is that it shows he is afraid, and expectant of something bad happening, and intends to defend himself to the last if necessary.
b) I think the Musician will return to the cave, either to ask to hear the phonograph again, or to attack Dr. Jenkins and try to steal his books and phonograph. I believe this because, near the end of the story, it says Dr. Jenkins was listening for the sound of coughing, and he hears it, down near the trees. This means that Dr. Jenkins believes the Musician is not really gone, and that he is merely hiding, waiting for him to go to sleep so he can break in.
total 12/16
Short Stories - Literary Devises Title:The Portable Phonograph
Point of View: Third person, limited omnicient
Protagonist: Dr. Jenkins
What type of character is the Protagonist?
The protagonist is a round, dynamic character.
Antagonist: The environment, also possibly the musician
Describe the setting: The setting is a post-war world where everything has been destroyed. Everyone appears to have died in the war, leaving just four men alive, living out in the prairie badlands, and keeping themselves sane by reading books and listening to music on a portable phonograph one of them saved from before the war.
Type of Conflict: Man vs. Environment, possibly Man vs. Man
Describe the main conflict: The main conflict is between the landscape and the four survivors. They have to fight their way through the day, trying to find food and water in the barren wasteland, and trying to stay sane as they contemplate that they are the last of a completely extinct race. There also might be a secondary conflict between Dr Jenkins and the musician. Nothing actually happens, but there is the possibility that the musician might try to steal Dr. Jenkins’ phonograph.
Describe the Climax of the Story: The climax of the story is when Dr. Jenkins plays the phonograph for his guests. The musician seems to be caused great pain by hearing the music, and runs out of the cave. The others say goodnight, and leave too, but Dr. Jenkins believes the musician is not really gone, and thinks he intends to steal the phonograph.
How does the Protagonist change over the course of the story?
The protagonist (Dr. Jenkins) changes his attitude of his companions over the course of the story. At the beginning, he enjoys their company, and is happy to read to them from his books, but as the story goes on, he becomes slightly annoyed that they want to hear the phonograph. This turns into fear when he realizes that the musician might intend to steal the phonograph.
Describe the relationship between the title and the theme
The theme of the story is survival. For the four men, every day they must ask the question “will I live though the day?” Life is very difficult for them, and the phonograph is one of the things that keeps them going and believing that they can survive. The Portable Phonograph survived the end of the human race, as did they, and it is something that helps them to continue to survive.
How does the main conflict help to illustrate the theme?
The main conflict helps illustrate the theme of survival by showing that, to Dr. Jenkins, his phonograph is at least as valuable, if not more so, than the survival of his comrades. His actions show that he cares about the music the phonograph provides so much that he would hurt, if not kill, his comrades to keep it.
How does the climax help to illustrate the theme?
The climax is when Dr. Jenkins plays the phonograph for the other men. The musician’s reaction makes you wonder what his chances of survival are, and whether his sanity is put in jeopardy by the music. It also makes you wonder if he is just in need of company and help, or if he is a realistic threat to them. Dr. Jenkins demonstrates he believes the latter when he goes to bed with the lead pipe.
Give examples of each of the following literary terms in the story (use quotes):
Simile: An example of a simile is when the “writer” character says “my brain grows thick, like my hands”. His brain is not actually getting thicker, but he feels like it is because his time is occupied with mundane tasks like finding food and water, not writing as he wishes it was.
Metaphor: An example of a metaphor is “through the veil of the dusk”.
Personification: An example of personification is the “V” of geese that fly overhead. They cannot actually engage in expeditionary talk like humans, and can only honk.
Symbol: An example of a symbol is the book Moby Dick. It acts as a book, but symbolizes one of the good things the human race had accomplished before the war. It also symbolizes hope for Dr. Jenkins and his fellow survivors.
Foreshadowing (give both elements): An example of foreshadowing is the sentence “A queer sensation of torment, of two-sided, unpredictable nature, arose from the stillness of the earth air beneath the violence of the upper air.” This is the same feeling that the musician experiences later in the story.
Irony: An example of irony is that Dr. Jenkins, not the musician, had saved the phonograph and the records from the apocalypse.
Imagery: Some examples of imagery are at the beginning of he story. The description of the land, the old road, the craters, trenches and the cave are all examples of imagery. “ The frozen mud still bore he toothed impress of great tanks, and a wanderer on the neighbouring undulations might have stumbled , in this light, into large, partially filled-in and weed-grown cavities, their banks channeled and beginning to spread into badlands.”
Describe the relationships between the class theme and the story.
The class theme is humanity. We see humanity in The Portable Phonograph when Dr. Jenkins tries to preserve the last little scrap of humanity the men have left by reading to them from his books, and playing the phonograph for them. We also see humanity in the pain the musician feels when he hears the music. The whole story is about four men who have lost most of their humanity, and are struggling to retain the last little bit.
Questions:
1) The story is set in the future, after an incredibly destructive war has wiped out not only most of the planet, but also most of the humans fighting the war.
This is supported by the fact that there are tank tracks in the mud, bomb scars covering the fields, trenches and dugouts spread across the countryside, and that the four survivors are meeting in a cave dug in the wall of a hill.
2) The purpose of the meeting is to give the men something to believe in, and something to live for. The author compares the wrapping of the books to a ceremonial rite because of the care that Dr. Jenkins takes while doing it. It is also described this way because, to the men, this is just as important and serious, if not more so, than the ceremonial rite it is described as.
3) The significance of the books that were saved is that they represent entertainment and hope to the men, who are in dire need of both. There are no current works of fiction included because Dr. Jenkins brought only "the Classics" that he could carry, and he feels like the classics are more important because they will continue to hold their meaning for future generations, unlike some modern fiction, which was written to sell in a "vampire craze", or some other instant fad.
4)
a) The significance of Dr. Jenkins holding the lead pipe is that it shows he is afraid, and expectant of something bad happening, and intends to defend himself to the last if necessary.
b) I think the Musician will return to the cave, either to ask to hear the phonograph again, or to attack Dr. Jenkins and try to steal his books and phonograph. I believe this because, near the end of the story, it says Dr. Jenkins was listening for the sound of coughing, and he hears it, down near the trees. This means that Dr. Jenkins believes the Musician is not really gone, and that he is merely hiding, waiting for him to go to sleep so he can break in.
Completion 5/5
Effort 4/5
Content 4/5
Questions 8/8
total 21/23